The Siege…

Break Gaza’s siege… This is all our dearest wish. Gaza is under an intensive, inhuman and choking siege. The latest attempts to break the siege via seas resulted in the murder of 9 peace activists, and the stealing of tons of Gaza-bound most needed aid. Nothing gets in, nothing gets out.

When the Palestinian parliamentary elections held on January 25, 2006, Hamas won a plurality of 42.9% of the total vote. When Hamas assumed power the next month, the Israeli government and the key players of the international community, the United States and the EU, refused to recognize its right to govern the Palestinian Authority. Direct aid to the Palestinian government immediately was cut off.

Deadly fighting erupted then between Hamas and Fatah, spreading in the Gaza Strip with both factions attacking vehicles and facilities of the other side.

In June 2007, the Palestinian Civil War between Hamas (Islamic Resistance Movement) and Fatah (Palestine Liberation Movement) intensified. Hamas routed Fatah after winning the democratic election, On 13 June 2007, International Supervisors on Rafah Borders were withdrawn causing the Rafah Border to immediate close. By 14 June 2007, Hamas controlled the Gaza strip. Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas responded by declaring a state of emergency, dissolving the unity government and forming a new government without Hamas participation, and winning widespread international support. As a response, Israel imposed a full blockade on Gaza; the Hamas government in the Gaza Strip faces international, diplomatic, and economic isolation.

Since then, the 1,5 million people of Gaza have been living in extremely hard condition, suffering from a collective punishment affecting all aspects of life; from moral harassment by cutting electricity at the moments it’s most needed, dropping threat leaflets, to obvious terrorism with F16 raids above the land.

Conflict continues between Israel and the Palestinian military groups in Gaza, with rockets being launched from the Gaza Strip into the occupied territories as a response to many deadly IDF incursions and air strikes.

On 27 December 2008, Israeli F-16 strike fighters launched a series of air strikes against targets in Gaza. Israel began a ground invasion of the Gaza Strip on 3 January 2009 and rebuffed many cease-fire calls. Palestinian medical staff said at least 1434Palestinians were killed, and at least 2,800 wounded, made up mostly civilians.

After 22 days of heavy shelling, Israel decided to stop the assault; 5,000 homes, 16 government buildings, and 20 mosques were destroyed, 13 Israelis and over 1400 Palestinians were killed.

The Red Cross has released a report stating that Israel’s continued blockade is making it impossible for Gaza to recover from the war.

While we enjoy our basic rights as education, safety, freedom, children of Gaza live under constant fear, with no future in a land that is left by our silence to be slowly buried alive. On the 9th of March, Palestinians on Gaza Strip entered in their 1000th day under siege. 1000 days through harassment, terror, hunger, moral exhaustion, we should have said stop 1000 days ago. What are we still waiting for?

Hence we, members of the Voice & Echoes of Palestine group, decided to carry out campaigns to pacifically break the siege. We hope that our movement will keep on growing with time, and that we will come to reach each one of you to bring them to our cause.